Miscellaneous
Saturday Saturnalia: Free Tastings 1pm-5pm at B-21
Now, you can taste and learn from the best every Saturday, from 1 to 5 p.m. every week. Tastng are free, focused and led by people who know wine at its best. Just bring your nose and your tongue . The schedule so far this spring:
March 20: The wines that made Ridge famous.
March 27: Kermit does France, Part Deux
April 3: Spanish values from importer Eric Solomon.
April 7: Great Burgundies with importer Jean Marie de Champs.
Please call ahead! Reservations appreciated.
What were we drinking? Oz viognier meets the American pasta-toss
All the finicky folderol about matching food and wine gets more challenging or more irrelevant every year. As tastes and options from around the globe spill out on the table, they make a mess of any careful categorizing.
2008 Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley - 17.99 (92 Pts. The Wine Spectator and a Top 100 of 2009!)
Take a dinner last week. It wasn’t the work of smart New American chef, just a something left-over stirfry. Call it Contemporary Refrigerator Fusion. I had wild mushroom ravioli from the Ravioli Co. one plump chicken liver from a bird the night before. Sounded earthy, so I added crumbled walnuts, hard ricotta cheese, and fresh basil, olive oil, pepper and a touch of balsamic. If that’s not your style, I’ m sure you’ve put together odd couples that would surprise me.
What to drink? The chicken liver and mushrooms made me think northern Italy, Barbera and an Amarone. But there were none on the shelf. Well, Pinot Noir is always mushroom-friendly. Again the cupboard was bare.
But then this was not a standard meal in any cuisine, so why kid myself. I went adventuring and found a Yalumba Viognier. Why not? Viognier is not truly pegged down either, although I told myself that Condrieu and foie gras might work. My poorman’s version might – and did: The viognier was dry but full bodied, its muskiness matched the mushrooms and livers, and the apricots gave it a surprise lift.
Fear not. We’ve got new foods and new wines. Be your own match maker.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
2005 Robert Foley Claret
2005 Robert Foley Claret
40 miles due north of San Pablo Bay in Napa County lies the sleepy town of Angwin, California. A short jaunt up the meandering stretch of Summit Lake Drive, nestled inside gently-treed clearings, stands Robert Foley’s Howell Mountain wine facility. After decades of crafting for others the highly acclaimed Switchback Ridge, Hourglass, Paloma, School House, and Engel Family wines, Foley sets off on his own with his first crush facility and cave. “Here I can make the best wines possible,” Foley stresses. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Foley’s chosen terroir features mountainous, well-drained soils draped over high elevations, a combination proven to concentrate aromas, flavors, color, and density. Foley’s goal is to create the most expressive wines conceivable using traditional techniques and hands-on care. “As one might expect from Robert Foley,” Robert Parker avers, “these are all massive wines, opaque purple in color, and filled with personality and concentration.”
2005 Robert Foley Claret $124.99
“Saturated bright ruby color. Liqueur-like aromas of black cherry, raspberry and mocha; high-toned in a positive way. A sweet, powerful fruit bomb on the palate, with perfectly integrated acidity giving shape and grip to the dark berry and cherry flavors. Firm underlying minerality contributes to the wine’s very fresh impression. Finishes with terrific aromatic persistence.” 93 points, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 08
“A gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers, and sweet black cherries emerges from the full-bodied, opulent 2005 Claret. Revealing more concentration, sweeter tannins, and more nuances and complexity than the 2006, this elegant beauty can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years.
Now that the highly talented Robert Foley is no longer the full-time winemaker at Pride Mountain Vineyards, he appears to be focusing on his own label as well as consulting for other wineries.” 92 points, Wine Advocate # 180 Dec 2008
What a year: 2006 in Chianti
2006 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia (Tuscany) -Pre-Order Now for 36.99 (Reg: 38.99)
Tuscany’s had a quite a good string of vintages (if you leave out 2002) yet even among them 2006 will stand out, near perfect conditions for Sangiovese. It’s prompted Jancis Robinson and other vignoscenti to say that Super-Tuscans might want to return to Chianti Classico and march under the Black Rooster banner.
We’ve got a number on hand and great ones to come; the vaunted Riserva Rancia of Fattoria di Felsina will be here at the end of the month. (Pre-order now at $36.99).
Right now, you can taste the classic dark richness, spice and intensity of true Chianti in the Castello di Monastero for a steal $13.99). Steve Rayman, our Italian palate, gives it 91 points and calls the 2006 “one of the most textbook classic Chiantis one could ask for. It is darkly colored and intensely flavored with much room left to develop. You’ll want to have a case to enjoy over the next ten years.”
Explore Languedoc: Chateau Rigaud is nothing ordinaire
Languedoc and Roussillon deserve more respect and exploration. We’ve slowly acknowledged that among all the vin de pays that Minervois and Corbieres are distinct appellations with rather noble red/black wines of their own.
2007 Chateau Rigaud (Faugeres) - $11.99
Here’s another, Faugeres, which is closer to the Rhone than the Bordeaux sphere of influence. The terroir is schist-y and rugged, the grapes Rhonish and the winemakers as proud and clever as any.
You can taste that in what happens to the Syrah and Grenache at Ch. Rigaud in Faugeres, with the advice of Claude Gros. The 2007 is deep in flavor and rich in texture, quite elegant in structure, more like a Left Bank Bordeaux than a CdR. The aroma is earthy and floral, the tastes to me are deep plum, raspberry and hints of black raspberry. This is black-tie syrah, proper enough for a banquet featuring a steamship round of beef with truffle jus, lively enough to take a spin on the dancefloor afterwards.
Doubt me if you wish but it gets at least a 91 from the two Roberts (Sprentall and Parker). At $11.99, I’d stick a couple in the cellar. Might be the first Languedoc in such fine company. Won’t be the last.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
What’s in a name: Ass Kisser?
Crude attention-getter, sure, almost bad enough to get banned by the Ministry of Silly Names but …
Taken on its face, the name labels the wine as one who’ll do anything to please. Which is exactly what some people accused Aussies of doing when they cracked the U.S. market in the 1980s: Breaking rules to come up with wines that tasted good to real people: rich, easy, soft and sweet. The ruination of the wine business: Wine Americans liked. They stooped to please.
They still do in this simple screwcap red blend, 2007 Ass-Kisser Fine Red Wine. I rather like the pride in those last three words, no need to tongue in cheek on this one. It’s Syrah and Grenache (59/41), rather fat and happy in body with a creamy texture and flavors of cherries, berries and plums streaked with chocolate and licorice. Easy on the first tip of the tongue and all the way to the finish.
It’s an unfussy wine at an unfussy price ($7.99) and will go with food to match, from burgers and pork barbecue to take-out pizza.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
The year of Grenache; Make that La Granacha
La Granacha Signargues Cotes du Rhone VV - $13.99
Don’t know where this spelling came, but no quibbles about the authenticity of the 2007 La Granacha from Signargues. This is genuine old school Grenache, 100 percent, all old vines, unfiltered and organic soil. This is from one of the premier villages of the Cotes du Rhone Villages but the wine was hidden in the bottles of fancier labels until Eric Solomon rescued it.
The wine is full-one Grenache from the earthy nose on, cherries, licorice, pepper and spice, wrapped in a deep red coat on a sturdy frame with a long finish. Why go all the way to Chateauneuf du Pape when you can hang out in this lovely Rhone village for a baguette sandwich and stay for roast lamb.
One of the best tastes of the Southern Rhone – Parker says 91 – and it’s only $13.99.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
Fun at $10 below. New Zealand sauv blanc.
And from Marlborough, too. Yes, you don’t have to spend big for big taste, you have to buy wisely from the thousands of wineries out there, new and old. If you get lost, trust B-21’s compass.
Consider Marlborough, the fashion leader in new-era Sauvignon Blanc, crisp as Sancerre with aroma to overpower a Rhine maiden. In the last decade it’s become synonymous with some very big names. Yet Marlborough’s a big region with a lot of winemakers who toil hard on the same terroir.
2009 Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc - $8.99
Take the road farther east out to Awatere on the edge of the Pacific and you’ll find some bargains. I’ve already touted The Crossings ($9.99) as a lively SB refresher, with enough lemon grass and lime for a Thai dinner. Now I’ve found an even better deal from an Awatere neighbor, 2007 Clifford Bay at $8.99.
When you open the bottle gooseberries (kiwis to us) and lime juice smack you like a Key lime pie in the face. You won’t get grapefruit in the mouth, just everything else, kiwi, citrus and pineapple with a lively bite of green pepper at the end, all in a very clean package. I had it with fresh pompano sautéed in olive oil, red rice and bokchoy and garlic. Didn’t need no stinkin’ lemon wedge.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
The Sardinian Paradox: Black wines
A beautiful view from Sardinia
“Sixty Minutes” told the white-wine-worried to drink red for their heart’s sake more than a decade ago. Now Good Morning America trumpets the health benefits of “black” wine, specifically the Cannonau of Sardinia as magic bullets of antioxidants and anthocyanin in a bottle.
This is not so much breakthrough science as a new wave of publicity for a veggie-heavy Mediterranean diet. In this case, GMA guest Dan Buettner touted his new book on “Blue Zones” a term he coined for clusters of great longevity. He hails Sardinians for a traditional peasant diet long on bread, cheese and wine. Meat? Not so much, Buettner says.
Well it is an island and, duh, home of sardines. Still Buettner says fish is not as important as sheep’s cheese and dark red wine. His other “blue zones” are not viticultural hot spots: Okinawan, the Nikoya peninsula of Costa Rica, and the Adventist/vegetarian center of Loma Linda, California.
Me, I suspect hard work and exercise have more to do with it. Yet Canonau, Sardinia and its distinctive cuisine deserve the plug.
Cannonau is the local name for Grenache or Garnacha, a dark-skinned and rustic favorite around the Mediterranean. Too many Americans think Grenache is a wimp grape for jug wines, especially pink. Hardly. Cannonau/grenache/garnacha can make rich stuff in America, Spain, the south of France and especially Sardinia, the big island west of Tuscany and north of Sicily. One of the best is Sella & Mosca’s riserva from 2005. Full of flowers and dark dried fruits, a lot of wine for $12.99. And yes, it’s very dark. Drink to long life.
2005 Sardus Pater Kanai Riserva of Sardinia - $34.99
Another darkling, more sophisticated and possibly more salubrious is the Kanai reserve from Sardus Pater, made from Carignane a compatriot grape of Grenache is the dark skinned Mediterranean gang. This won a three-glass Tre Biccherri salute from Gambero Rosso, even before the diet doctors weighed in. It’s $34.99 at B-21.
As to the healthful red wine, most research points to the dark est but researchers are still deciding which grapes varietals have the most punch. Dark colors, high tannins, high extraction, extra sunlight, high altitude are clues, not guarantees.
Still color is fun and purple black in a glass excites me and starts an old Isley Brothers tune in my head “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.”
Besides Cannonau/Grenache , other dark wines are high in the right flavonoids, specificially the tannins and anthocyanins. These are found in the seeds, stems and skins of grapes that give red and blue colors to wine (anthocyanins color flowers too) and rather healthful.
These include Mourvedre/Monastrell, the tannat of Uruguay, and the Malbecs of Argentina and Cahors southeast of Bordeaux.
While we’re at it, the food in Sardinia is unusually fresh and primal. The island has its own pecorino, a couscous called fregola. flaky flat bread as fragile as old sheet music, and wood-fired meats. You can get a great helping of the island’s food and wines (black and otherwise) at Sardinia Ristorante and Enoteca on a quiet corner of Miami’s South Beach.
So drink up and live long. Very long.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
What were we drinking? Yorkshire ale meets hot, hot, hot.
Beer and curry is a classic pub pairing but this night upped the ante. The food was Thai take-out green papaya salad and a skillet full of jerk pork shoulder. Some menus at my place are like that. In this case the jerk came from Publix, where the meat department was bored with beef and stir-fry veggies and tried out jerked pork and a chicken leg curry. Hat’s off.
Together they packed a vinegar punch, a double shot of peppers and a spice grinder full of fun.
Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale at B-21 for $3.99/btl in-store.
The answer was not an India Pale Ale, but a hefty no-nonsense English strong ale from Yorkshire, the Rigg Welter from Black Sheep Brewery. Whew, Yorkshire ale is from a different planet, one that deserves more attention and savoring: the strength is in massive broad hops as well as big alcohol.
Riggwelter is an exceptional ale from Black Sheep, a young brewery with old traditions. Btw, the name is what old Yorkshire farmers call a sheep that’s fallen and can’t get up (Must have been a wave of sheep-tipping).
This is dark coffee brown with a creamy head with an aroma of fresh roasted coffee that carries through to an earthy flavors of coffee and malt and hops bitter enough to stand up to all the flavors on my plate.
It’s a hop heads delight, one of many on the expanding shelves of craft beers at B-21.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler